land plants oxygen wildfire charred fossils Late Silurian

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Land plants made wildfires possible

Wildfires became possible after land plants helped raise the amount of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere above about 13%. Fossilized burned plants show that fires were already happening around 420 million years ago.

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≈55 million people/year

Medical bills can push patients into poverty

In India, patients often must choose between free public health care with too few resources and expensive private treatment. Medical debt pushes about 55 million people into poverty each year.

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Taiwan was once joined to mainland Asia

People lived on Taiwan 20,000–30,000 years ago, when it was still physically connected to mainland Asia. Rising seas severed that connection about 10,000 years ago.

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